#2: Therapeutic Nature of the Chinese Sword

In class I casually mentioned that sword practice is very
therapeutic. When asked why, I realized that my statement was intuitively
based. This set my Left Brain in gear. Here are 6 benefits that he came up with. They have both physical & psychic components that are unique to sword practise.

In sword practice Awareness extends about 2 to 3 feet beyond the
perimeter of the Body, as the PractitionerÕs attention should generally be on
or around the tip of the sword, as that is where the action is. Further the
arm-hand-finger complex actually feels the tip of the sword without touching
it, just as the painter extends to the end of his brush and handwriting extends
to the tip of the pen. This extension beyond our normal perimeters tends to
break up the distorted notion that we are locked inside our Body as a Person.
This reaching beyond the usual boundaries occurs naturally as the practitioner
directs the tip of the sword towards a target, or, on a more practical level,
avoids striking fellow classmates or other environmental obstructions when
practicing Forms as a Group.

This extension into the surrounding environment encourages
involvement in the external world, rather than retreat into an internal world.
One subconsciously cultivates the sword-masterÕs essential role as protector of
the realm - as someone who must stand up for justice - defend the weak –
or beautify the world. This extension is somewhat of a necessity because one
has first cultivated Balance in Tai Chi and then Extension in Swords. This
extension of consciousness beyond the limits of the Body can be, but is not
inherent to either Tai Chi or Yoga.

A second aspect of Sword has to do with the eyes and watching the
sword tip or the edge of the blade. Then range of vision is so narrow that it
is easier to practice one pointed concentration than with Tai Chi, where the
point of concentration is ever changing – from different parts of one
revolving hand to the other – to an elbow and perhaps even a shoulder.
Although one-pointed focus is the target of Tai Chi , it is much easier to
attain with the sword, where oneÕs range of focus is on the two or three inches
at the tip of the sword, where all the slicing and stabbing occur.

Again due to the directed vision of the eyes into the outer
world- there is a parallel urge of the practitioner to engage with the real
world instead of withdrawing. Yoga, of course, cultivates one-pointed
attention, but it is generally directed inward rather than outward – with
parallel results.

The inherent nature of a sword, two sharp edges and a point, leads to
a heightened precision of movement. Although this same precision is also part
of Tai Chi, it is easier to fudge the movements – as sloppiness in
motion, pretends to be flowing, lightness, or continuous speed. While this is
also possible with the sword, the parameters of precision are much narrower. In
the hand-to-hand combat of Tai Chi the body has multiple striking surfaces
– various parts of the hand and foot, not to mention elbow, shoulder and
even the head. The sword has only two – the tip and the edge of the
blade. – which are both clearly defined.

Further there is always a leading edge with the sword. This
should change rapidly with precision from the little finger edge, i.e. the
forehand, to the thumb edge, i.e. the backhand. There are also rapid changes in
the direction of the blade as it moves from side to side to clear away
obstructions.

Because the overall motion of the sword is supposed to be a
constant speed and continuous, spiral motion becomes a necessity at the
transitions – the changes of direction.This enables the sharp edge of the blade to be constantly
leading rather than lapsing into flatness. The flat of the sword blade rarely
leads; and if it does it should be intentional.

Frequently the transition from one direction to another has
to do with circling around an opponentÕs wrist. Because of the nature of the
target, the utmost precision and control is required. A body is large, while a
wrist is very small. Again this sharpness leads to attention to detail, which
again expands conscious awareness by the necessity of attending to the subtle
blade changes around a subtle and ever-changing target. In parallel fashion it
teaches the practitioner to adapt subtly to an ever-changing world.

In contrast the poses of Yoga tend to be static. And while
the dynamic Tai Chi movements are intended to be precise, they can easily
degenerate into bluntness due to the extreme complexity of the target as well
as the striking surface.

Further this extreme precision or sharpness that is required
when slicing or stabbing is extremely useful when exorcising personal demons or
taming monsters. These supernatural creatures, spawned at an early age, are
easily able to circumvent a dull or imprecise attack. Cultivating the sharpness
of the slice also tends to be very useful when uncovering the hidden self by
ruthlessly slicing away the false ego that corrupts our true Being. Surgical
precision is necessary when extracting the unessentialin order to avoid damaging, injuring or
even killing the essential.

The targets of the sword are more distinct, as there is only a limited attacking surface
and fewer. Also the primary targets are the wrists as the sword extends our
reach nearly 3 feet beyond our body and the wrists tend to be closest and most
vulnerable. An opponent without a sword is relatively defenseless. Cultivating
an external target further extends us into the outer world – with the
precise goal of molding the surrounding world rather becoming a victim of circumstances.
Thus target cultivation encourages a proactive, rather than a reactive,
relationship with our environment.

This distinct feature of sword work is of utmost important. Hand-to-hand combat
requires a certain stability to avoid being uprooted – swept away, as it
were. This is especially true of Push Hands practice, where oneÕs feet are
always planted. However rooting is ineffectual against the sword, which easily
stabs and slashes the soft tissues of the Body with very little strength
required. Witness the lethal nature of a tiny razor blade in the right hands.
Because the danger associated with the slightest strike the sword practitioner
must cultivate lightness in both feet, hands and body. In the implied
hand-to-hand combat of Tai Chi one can take or deflect a body stride with the
body itself. Not so with the sword. Hence the legs and arms are of necessity
raised much higher to avoid potentially lethal slashes. Even Body, herself, is
required to curve inwards to avoid strikes to the belly.

While extreme body lightness is required to avoid the sharp
blade, sword lightness is also required for offense, as some of the most lethal
attacks can occur on the retreat, while circling around the wrist. The delicacy
of movement requires a lightness and flexibility of the wrist that is primarily
a feature of sword work.

In parallel fashion the lightness of the body translate into
a lightness of mind, which is necessary for detaching from the false
conceptions generated by Brain. Without lightness Being is submerged in the
quagmire of the Person. Unable to disentangle oneself due to the weight of the
thoughts - the importance attributed to them, Being eventually drowns –
as destructive habit patterns are inadvertently reinforced over and over and
over again. Inadvertently one becomes a hapless victim of fate - fodder for the
cannon - a pawn in the external game. Under these circumstances how is one to
avoid a zombie-like existence or a premature death – whipped hither and
thither by internal emotional states – battered and broken by external
misunderstandings.

A final advantage to sword work is that it teaches yielding. In
hand-to-hand combat the usual strike is direct and with power – a punch,
kick, a body strike, or an elbow stroke. Fa jing is a technique that is
cultivated which has to do with issuing power. If yielding or neutralizing are
employed it has to with using the opponentÕs energy against them. In contrast
the yielding or retreating motion of sword work is frequently also an attack.
There is no need for issuing power or strength due to the sharpness of blade.
This teaches that conflicts can be resolved with subtlety rather than brute
force. Rather than tackling a problem head on, one can solve it through
finesse. Again although Tai Chi incorporates yielding it is defensive rather
than offensive, while Yoga is static.

LetÕs end with a statement of relativity. Sword work is
especially valuable for those who are under-involved in the world as it teaches
extension, target, yielding and subtlety. Yoga, on the other side, is
especially valuable for those who are over-involved in the world, as it
cultivates awareness and quietude. This leads to our last point. Sword work
without meditation is akin to work without rest.